Switched (2 page)

Sophia’s
response came at once: “R u kidding? She’s 2 pink 4 us 2 know!” She’d drawn one
of her bunny cartoons at the bottom.

“
Love
your fur!” one bunny said.

“Pink
is totally my natural color!” replied another, which had a ribbon in its hair.

Ivy
tried to cloak her laughter with a fake cough, but the resulting rattle was
seriously grave. Brendan probably thought she sounded like a cat coughing up a
fur ball.

Ivy
saw Olivia raise her hand to ask a question. “Do we have to type the
assignment?” Even her voice sounded familiar.

Ivy
was more certain than ever that there was
something
strange about the
girl in the pink dress.

When
the bell rang, Ivy waited for Brendan to leave before she got up. She and
Sophia were headed to their lockers when Sophia nudged her arm and said, “Looks
like the new bunny’s about to be roadkill.”

Down
the hall, Olivia Abbott was standing by the bathrooms, surrounded by four boys
in black heavy metal T-shirts.

Oh
no,
thought Ivy. It
was the Beasts.

Before
she knew what she was doing, Ivy was rushing toward the group.

“New
meat,” she heard one of the boys say.

“Yeah,
dude.” Another Beast chuckled. “Like, with ketchup. I wonder if she likes
horror stories.” They all guffawed.

For
the first time, Ivy saw Olivia without a smile on her face. Their eyes met over
the boys’ shoulders. Olivia looked half confused, half scared.

Ivy
clenched her teeth. As night was her witness, there was
no way
she was
going to let this girl be eaten alive by the biggest Goth losers at Franklin. “Buzz
off and die, Beasts!” she growled, shoving them aside and stepping in front of
Olivia. “Go haunt a convenience store parking lot.”

“What’s
your problem, Vega?”

“You’re
my problem, you rat. Now put a stake in it.” Ivy unleashed her death squint. “I
said
buzz off!”

The
Beasts laughed uncomfortably before slinking away down the hall.

“I am
so
happy you showed up,” Olivia blurted. “I don’t even know your name, and you’re
already my favorite person!”

Ivy
introduced herself. “And don’t worry about the Beasts,” she said. “They’re
harmless. They act all grave, but they’re not nearly as scary as they smell.”

“You
sure seem to know how to handle them,” Olivia remarked.

“Yeah,
well, I’d better,” Ivy said. “I’m going to have to put up with them
forever
.”

Olivia
laughed. “Anyway, thank you for the second time today, Ivy Vega. I’m really
grateful.”

That
strange feeling rushed back over Ivy with a force so powerful she nearly
stumbled. All at once, she realized why the new girl looked so familiar.
She
looks a lot like me
, Ivy thought.
More than a lot—she looks almost
exactly
like me!

A wave
of nausea hit her, and her knees trembled. She was either going to throw up or
faint right in the middle of the hall. Brendan would see her splayed out on the
linoleum floor, her face whiter than bone, her black-stockinged legs twisted
like a doll’s.

Olivia
was still talking, but the roar in Ivy’s head was too loud for her to hear.

“Later,”
Ivy croaked. And, quick as a bat, she flew into the girls’ bathroom.

Oh
great,
Olivia
thought,
I overdid it.
Why did she always have to come on so strong when
she met new people? Here was this girl, Ivy, clearly trying to be nice, and
Olivia immediately started talking her ear off. The poor girl had looked like
she was about to puke.

Still,
Olivia couldn’t help wondering why Ivy Vega had gone out of her way to help
her. After all, Ivy was ultra Goth. For someone like her to be friendly to
someone like Olivia twice in one morning was unusual to say the least.

Whatever.
Olivia had gym next, and she needed to find the locker room and change as fast
as she could. The principal had said that Ms. Barnett, her PE teacher, was also
the cheerleading coach, and Olivia wanted to make a stellar first impression.

“You’re
not wearing socks, Miss Abbott,” Ms. Barnett said sternly less than seven
minutes later. Olivia had barely had a chance to introduce herself. “This is a
physical education class, young lady. How can you receive a physical education
if your feet are not properly attired?”

Olivia
made sure she kept smiling, which wasn’t easy considering she was also trying
to nod seriously. “I completely agree,” she said sincerely. “I’ve been
cheerleading since I was eight, and I fully understand the dangers of painful
blisters and unwanted foot fungus. I promise not to forget my socks again, ma’am.”

Ms.
Barnett nodded with begrudging respect.

There
isn’t a female gym teacher on earth who doesn’t love being called Ma’am
, thought Olivia.

After
Ms. Barnett had given her the details of the squad tryouts coming up in three
weeks, she led Olivia across the gym to where three girls were taking turns
doing handsprings. She gestured to one with a blond ponytail, who bounced right
over.

“Charlotte
Brown, this is Olivia Abbott. She’s also interested in trying out for the
squad.”

“You’re
the new girl!” Charlotte cried. “Welcome to Fraaaaaaaanklin”—she rolled her
hands like a motor and threw her arms in the air—“GROVE!”

Olivia
smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

“Come
on,” said Charlotte. “I’m just about to teach Katie and Allison this
unbelievably awesome cheer!”

For
the first time all morning, Olivia let herself relax. She’d found the
cheerleaders. Unlike the other students in gym class, all three girls wore
matching short pink shorts and tight gray Franklin Devils T-shirts. Olivia just
knew she’d be having sleepovers and talking about boys in the locker room with
them before long.

Olivia
watched Charlotte run through the routine. The girl clearly knew her stuff. She
had good energy, sharp moves, nice tumbling. It was completely possible that
Charlotte Brown was going to be her new best friend.

“That
was great, Charlotte!” Olivia said.
Except,
she thought, “
devil”
doesn’t really rhyme with “bubble,” but, whatever.
“We used to do a cheer a
lot like that at my old school.”

“I
wrote it myself.” Charlotte beamed.

The
routine had some complicated parts but nothing too difficult. Olivia got it in
no time. After a few run-throughs, she even tried some new lines, shouting, “You
know you’re a Devil when you raise the noise level!” instead of Charlotte’s
words.

“Sorry,
Olivia,” Charlotte said, running over from where she was working with Katie and
Allison on the handclaps. “I think you got the words wrong. We’d better do it
again.” Which was fine. After all, it was Charlotte’s cheer.

Olivia
was just relieved to feel that she fit in. In fact, at the end of class, she
was on her way to the locker room when Ms. Barnett actually smiled at her.

“Nice
cheering, Olivia,” said the gym teacher. Olivia could have done a flip on the
spot!

“Ms.
Barnett says that to everyone,” Charlotte said, as she pushed open the door to
the locker room.

Olivia
shrugged. “Hey, this morning I was no one. ‘Everyone’ is a step up!”

It
sure didn’t feel that way at lunch, though. Looking out at the cafeteria,
Olivia felt like no one again. She had no idea where to sit. She wished she
were back at her old school, with Kara and Mimi waving at her from their table
by the window.

Finally,
Olivia spotted Camilla sitting by herself in the corner, devouring her sci-fi
epic along with her lunch. Olivia almost took off running, she was so happy to
see her.

She
was almost at Camilla’s table when Charlotte Brown appeared, wearing a pink
sweater. Behind her stood Katie and Allison, their smiles shining like white
billboards above their trays.

“Come
sit with us!” Charlotte said. Olivia glanced over at Camilla, whose nose was
still buried in her book. For some reason, Olivia’s stomach sank. “Okay.”

“This
is the popular table,” Katie told her as they sat down.

“We
sit here every day,” said Allison.

“Great.”
Olivia smiled, silently noting that they were the only people at the table.

“Girls,”
Charlotte said. “First things first. I think it’s our duty to tell Olivia the
rules.”

“Which
rules?” Olivia asked.

“Duh.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “Charlotte’s rules.”

“
No,
Katie.” Charlotte looked annoyed. “The rules of Franklin Grove Middle
School.” She straightened her back and took a deep breath. “Rule number one,”
Charlotte announced. She reached over to Olivia’s tray and gingerly picked up a
piece of garlic bread with two fingers. She looked completely grossed out, as
if she were holding a dead bird. “
Never
order garlic bread. It totally
kills . . .”

Vampires?
Olivia wondered.

“...your
social life,” Charlotte finished, dropping the bread so that it landed back on
Olivia’s tray with a thud.

“Rule
number two,” Charlotte went on, wiping her hands on her napkin. “Pink is in.
Black”—she shot a cold look at another table, where Olivia saw Ivy Vega sitting
with some friends—“is
so
last season. But you already knew that, right?”
Charlotte added and winked.

“I so
can’t wait to borrow that dress,” Katie said, looking Olivia up and down
approvingly.

“Anyway,”
said Charlotte, “rule number two is: Pink is perfect!”

Olivia
shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

“But
rule number three,” Charlotte continued, “is the most important rule of all.”

Charlotte
looked at Katie and Allison, who nodded solemnly. Then Charlotte did a double
clap, and all three spoke in unison: “The squad is everything, and the captain
makes the calls!”

It was
as if they’d practiced it—which, Olivia realized, they probably had. “Cool,”
she said, not wanting to be mean. “Who’s the captain?”

Katie
and Allison looked at Olivia like she’d just popped a zit right at the table.

“It’s
all right,” Charlotte said. “She’s new. That’s a perfectly good question,
Olivia.
I’m
the captain.”

Olivia
couldn’t help it; she was shocked. She had to eat a forkful of fruit salad just
to cover her reaction. Finally she swallowed. “I, um, talked to Ms. Barnett in
gym, and she said that the captainship won’t be decided until tryouts.”

“I
know,” said Charlotte, nodding sympathetically. “She actually
has
to say
that or else she’ll be fired. Like, to be fair. But everyone knows it’s going
to be me.”

“It’s
just like everyone on the squad has to try out again every year, so it at least
looks
like new people have a chance,” Katie said.

“Like
you!” Allison chimed. Then she realized what she’d just said and added quickly,
“Although I’m sure you’ll make it if you stick with us.”

Olivia
forced herself to smile and nod.
I should have sat with Camilla,
she
thought. And then, out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw Ivy and her friends
about to pass by, carrying their trays.

Charlotte
cleared her throat. “It’s such a shame,” she said ultraloud, “when people can’t
afford to buy clothes from this century. We should totally set up a charity.”

Oh,
my gosh. Charlotte did
not
just say that!
Olivia thought. She stared down at her tray as Ivy
brushed past with her friends. Luckily, they didn’t say anything.

When
the Goths had gone, Olivia sat up straight. “Charlotte, what was all that
about?”

“Excuse
me?” Charlotte said haughtily.

“That
girl, Ivy, saved my butt this morning. And even if she didn’t, I don’t really think
that entitles you to smash her feelings.”

“Well,
thank you for
feedback
, Olivia,” Charlotte huffed. “But it’s clear you
don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, I’ll forgive you for not knowing
this because you’re new, but let me tell you something about those Goths. The
walking dead don’t
have
feelings!”

How
utterly great,
Ivy
thought grimly as the bell rang for the last class of the day.
The new girl—
who looks just like me but is best friends with Charlotte Brown—is in my
science class, too.

Ivy
slumped in her chair in the back row. She could not believe Olivia had been
sucked into Charlotte’s web so easily. Olivia might share Ivy’s nose, but that
was obviously where the resemblance ended.

Uh-oh
. Olivia was coming over. “Hi,”
Olivia said quietly. She seemed embarrassed.

She
should be!
thought
Ivy.